Storing Scraps?

I do not have a room for sewing. I work from home and have my home office that I can store a few things in but have to use my dining room for the actual work area. I am starting to collect some fabric scraps and will store them in my office.

I use a variety of containers that I use. I cut my scraps into squares or strips and for the squares I like to use a container the squares lie flat in. I also a couple of 3-drawer chest from Walmart that I have some scraps in -- these are a bit messy and are roughly sorted by color/type.

I have mine in ziplock bags by (approximate) size. When I need a scrap it is usually a size- limited thing. If I have too many small crumbs I just sew them all together for a doll quilt. Or, these days, even throw out some of the really teeny ones.....

On the other hand, i have FQs in plastic baskets, standing up like hanging files in a filing cabinet, by colour, so I can walk through them with my fingers.

Fortune favours the prepared mind
"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein

I always use clear containers. I don't cut up strips till I need them. What strips I do have are in with the scraps of the same color. I try to have the strips off to the side. You can get some containers on wheels and those are nice because of being able to roll them here an there. I also have containers of WIP and UFO. Both of which I have the works in a zip loc.

The uncut ones, I have in paper boxes for now, probably not the best storage idea. I usually cut the biggest square I can from the piece and then work downwards. The smallest I cut is 1 1/2 inch squares. Then I have put them in the clear plastic storage boxes by size. Strips I cut anywhere from 1 1/2 inches wide to 3 inches wide if there is enough material to go three inches. I have those all together right now in one box as I don't have too many strips yet. May change the strip storage as the amount grows. Plan to use Bonnie Hunter's Leaders and Enders on some of them and who know what else on the others, but at least I am getting them cut into sizes to be used in the future and not just a box of "junk" sitting around. Have several boxes full that need attention and once I get my sewing room more organized will work on them.

My sewing space room will be full up so to speak, with room for me to move around the cutting table and sewing machine area, but figure no one will be in there basically but me so that is fine. Have a long way to go on organization and it is basically being put off until we finish moving completely.

Made a small curtain for a small window to break the afternoon sun in our faces yesterday and it is going to work out fine, so need to do a second one for the other small window. It was so nice to be able to work and not have to move everything when I was finished and just close the door. Loved it so figure eventually I will get more sewing and quilting done.

So find what works best for you, I like the clear boxes as I can see what's in them, but I also label them too, as sometimes some of the sizes are a little difficult to tell from the end of the box.